


cat pillow

by Codename_Mallory_Grace



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV, Cat Sitting, Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, Ignis befriends a picky cat, Kink Meme, Noct is a lovingly and good cat owner, Not Beta Read, While the cats are spoiled and don't like socializing with humans that are not noct, Written in a frenzy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:53:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23679448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Codename_Mallory_Grace/pseuds/Codename_Mallory_Grace
Summary: Juni scratches Gladio on sight.Purrito is scared of Prompto, his hair, and camera.Dora ignores Ignis.When Noctis goes away with His Majesty on a rare fishing trip outside of Insomnia, Ignis, by process of elimination, is tasked with cat sitting the three princesses left behind.
Relationships: Noctis Lucis Caelum & Ignis Scientia
Comments: 7
Kudos: 23





	cat pillow

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [this kink meme](https://ffxv-kinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/5690.html?thread=11427386#cmt11427386):
> 
> "Noctis has to go away for a while and hires Any to catsit his three rescue cats while he’s gone. The cats aren’t very sociable with people other than Noctis. Any works to befriend the cats and sends photos with silly captions of their valiant efforts to Noctis (resulting in him crushing hard)."
> 
> Requested a few years back, but if the asking anon is reading this: I didn't hit every beat, but I hope you like it!

Ignis Scientia, advisor to the Crown Prince, member of the Crownsguard, youngest holder of five Master degrees, faces off with his fiercest adversary: a spoiled princess who seemingly despises all foods he offers.

He stares at her golden eyes, while she doesn’t even grace him with a side eye. In between his crouching form and her blasé one sits a bowl filled with gourmet cat food. The finest one on the shelves. The exact same one Noctis feeds her every day.

Three days into cat sitting and he still hasn’t gotten her to eat a single bite of food.

He’s not even above begging at this point, “Please, Dora? Won’t you eat, even just a bite?”

Proving to be her owner’s cat, she ignores his pleads and saunters over to the large cat bed on the floor by the balcony sliding glass doors. She nests herself quickly among the folds of the bed. Ignis can already feel the warmth that must be settling on her fur.

He raises to his full height with shake of his head, “You aren’t usually this picky with Noctis.”

Knowing he will not win this battle, he searches the area for the other two princesses.

Purrito watches him from above in the cat tower near the door to Noctis room. Her ears, slightly flatten, tell him petting her would not be a good idea.

Soft thumps of Juni’s paws hitting the floor continue as the little calico cat ferociously attacks the toy mouse. Ignis quickly takes his phone to record a video because Noctis asked for daily updates on the princesses. As he isn’t quite on good terms with the others yet, this should suffice as proof none of them are in true want of anything.

With that done and no other cat-related tasks to do, he leaves the bowl out for the others, but ideally Dora, to eat later, and makes his way to the door.

Casting one last hopeful look back at the sleeping Dora, Ignis promises, “Before this week is finished, you will eat something I give you. If nothing else, you must get hungry at some point…”

“It might be shaped like kibble, but it’s fresh salmon. Or as fresh as it could be. Try it before you… turn nose up at it.”

“Miss Elshett from the Crownsguard, who you met a long time ago, highly recommends this dish. …Not to your standards?”

“It’s tuna sent from Lady Lunafreya in Tenebrae… One bite and I’ll give you this catnip? …No?”

Ignis really tries not to take offense that three days later, Dora still won’t eat anything.

He imagines it can’t be healthy for cat to go without eating for so long. She drinks water, so Ignis refrains from taking her to vet. For now.

He makes excellent progress with the other two, which he updates Noctis in his texts.

Purrito has at least gotten used to his presence without Noctis’, and he can pet the orange tabby after bribing her with some treats. See Dora, at least someone finds his offering suitable.

Juni, ever the active cat, greets him at the door every day. In return, he reflects a small bit of light on his black phone screen onto the wall. It drives Juni crazy. Maybe too much as now any stray light on the wall sends her into attack-mode. Ignis looks into buying a laser toy for her.

Today is the last day he can possibly take rejection from a cat. Ignis brings with him a fresh selection of chicken, tuna, and salmon.

If pre-made, canned food isn’t not good enough for Dora, then Ignis will just have to make a meal fit for a princess.

Though cooking of a cat is certainly new, and definitely not written in any document listing out his duties to the crown, it’s not terribly different than cooking for Noctis. If Dora is truly Noctis’ cat, then sushi should be the perfect dish to serve.

With finely minced chicken as his rice and the fish as fish, he carefully forms cat-ready sashimi. While Ignis lays out food for the other two in the usual bowl, he presents cat-ready sashimi directly to Dora on a teacup saucer Noctis never actually uses.

Anticipation washes over him as Dora approaches the dish.

Hope bubbles within him when she goes as far as to sniff the food.

His heart breaks when she swats the saucer away.

“Really? Not even a meal made just for you will satisfy you? Fresh fish and fresh meat! What more could you want? You are more spoiled than Noctis is!” Ignis’ voice carries sharply through the apartment.

From the corner of his eyes, he notices Purrito scurry away from Ignis and up the cat tower. Juni swats at his arm, with claws out, and Dora holds his eyes with a flat expression. Or as flat as a cat can look.

He removes Juni’s claws from being caught in his sleeve, and speaks softer, “Sorry, I should not have raised my voice. Though I can’t force you to eat, I worry that you will become ill if you continue on like this. So please? If not for me, for Noctis, who will return soon and would not wish his favorite princess to be so thin after a week trip?”

Ignis pays little mind to Juni moving on from his sleeves to chase after a floating piece of lint. He only has eyes from Dora as her whiskers twitch ever so slightly.

Had she realized his pride has hit the lowest point? Did his plead finally reach her? Did the mention of Noctis motivate her?

Any reason could be it, or just the princess’ capacious nature, but Dora leans down and licks the sashimi! Then actually takes a bite! Ignis feels the Astrals’ blessing when Dora lifts her head away from the saucer to reveal a clean plate.

Not wishing to push his luck any further, he leaves her to return to her nap in the sun and go wash the dish. He makes a mental note to ask Miss Elshett for cat food recipes tomorrow.

Three more days until Noctis returns. Three more meals to win over Dora.

The day before Noctis is returns to the city is grueling one. Council meetings that run far longer than necessary, which causes missed meals, which is followed by a lack of focus duringtraining, which results in am Ignis whose manners are on the verge breaking.

Reports, meeting minutes, forms, and plenty of other paper work still need to be reviewed and signed by the time the sunset. He still hasn’t even made his way over to Noctis’ place yet. He can only hope the three princesses are behaving and haven’t rioted at the missed meal.

When he rereads the same paragraph three times, he knows he needs a break. Perhaps a furry one?

Thirty minutes later, he’s in the living room with only two cats present. Juni and Purrito, finally living up to her name, are curled together. Purrito might be asleep, but Juni is gently licking Purrito’s face. It’s too precious of a sight to let pass, so he snaps a shot of them for Noctis’ daily message.

He looks over to the cat bed Dora prefers, and he drops his bag at the sight of it.

Searching the rest of the room reveals she isn’t there.

“Dora?”

Not on or under the sofa.

“Dora?”

Not on any counters.

“Dora!”

Not in any cabinets.

He checks the bathroom, inside the shower, and under the sink, before finally checking Noctis’bedroom.

There, on top of Noctis’ pillows, lie a little, furry, silver circle. He feels his heart beat steadying.

Her ears twitch as he walks in, so he steps quieter and not disturb her more. For all the free reign the cats have in the apartment, it’s strange none of them are ever in Noctis’ room. Or maybe only when he is around.

Ignis tentatively lowers his body next to Dora’s. It’s not quite gentle enough. Her head pops up and turns towards him with a look suggesting that if he was anyone else, he wouldn’t be sitting here for much longer.

“Hello Dora. Sorry to disturb. I’m not used to finding you here.”

Knowing he is not a threat, she rests her head down on her paws and gives him a sad look.

It’s then he realizes why she’s become so finicky lately: she misses Noctis. It’s not that she dislikes him and his food, well it’s not _just_ that, it’s that Noctis isn’t the one feeding her.

“Ah, I see. That’s why you’ve starting eating my food. You did it for Noctis.”

_Mew._

“Well, not to worry. He’ll be coming home soon. Tomorrow, in fact.”

_Mew._

“I know. Can’t time move any faster?”

_Mew._

“You’re not alone in that… I… miss him too.”

_Mew._

Despite not usually one to talk to cats, he spends the rest of the night talking, and later reading reports, to Dora. He stretches behind her ears whenever she gives a timely meow at some absurd writing.

He only stops working when she climbs into his lap and on top of the report he is reading. Her purring and sign of trust keeps him from removing her.

Legs taken captive, he leans his torso onto the bed. It’s late and as long as he gone by the time Noctis returns, it couldn’t hurt keeping the princess company for one night. He falls asleep as the weight on his legs moves to his chest. A content purr sound sends him to the dream-realm.

“Juni, don’t step on him like that,” a voice play-whispers. “He doesn’t need more facial scars than Gladio. Don’t look at me like that, Purrito. I’m just trying to take a picture of him and Dora cuddling. You’re not in the picture at all.”

At the word of picture, Ignis’ hazy mind wakes with a jolt. His eyes open to Noctis’ face behind a phone. At the sight of his prince, who just caught him sleeping in his bed, he body instinctively moves to get up, but something weighs him down.

“I wouldn’t move, if I was you. Dora seems pretty comfortable on your chest.”

He leans his head as forward and sees Dora lying on his chest, awake and washing her face. But more importantly, Noctis stands over him with his phone in hand.

“Highness! You’re back.”

“Yup! Dad and Clarus switched driving, so we made it back earlier than we thought.”

“I… That’sgood to hear. Um…” How does he explain this? “Apologies for staying in your bed without your permission.”

“It’s cool, Specs. Besides,” he looks down at the three fur balls curled on top of his body, “I doubt you got much room to argue.”

“Well, you might have a point there.”

“It’s hard to turn down a princess, huh.”

“Indeed.”

It hurts to keep his neck off the bed to look up at Noctis, so he lets his head fall back to the bed.

“Well, I’m gonna hit the showers. Finally hot water after a week of camping.”

“You,” his head pops right back up “you won’t removed them?”

“I might be their owner, but even I wouldn’t end up scratchless if I moved them away from their new favorite bed.”

“I need to get up. I have a full schedule for the day.” He reads the nightstand clock, 8:32, and gets mouth full of calico fur. “Which I’m already late to start.”

“Too late, you’re now on a cat schedule. And until they get off, you’re not going anywhere.”

“Noct, please.”

“Nope. Oh, by the way, say ‘cat pillow.’”

“What?”

Noctis holds up his phone again and several shutter sounds came from it.

“Noct!” Ignis says with as angry of a glare as a man with three cats on him can manage.

“Thanks for the new lock screen!” Noctis says, his face appearing more flushed than moments ago. “See you after my shower.”

“Come back here!” Ignis cries out again.

With nothing to do and soft, steady vibrations coming from three warm bodies, Ignis falls asleep again.

When he wakes up, a much bigger, fourth cat snoozes against his side. Not having the heart to wake him up, he lightly runs his fingers through the slightly damp hair.

And if this cat snuggles closer, neither of them mention it.

**Author's Note:**

> The three cats were all adopted by Noct, but were named by the other three guys: Gladio named Juni after Juniper because it's a cute name and he's gotten stick to the family theme, right? Prompto named Purrito because he thinks cat-burritos are the best and cutest pictures ever. Ignis named Dora after Pandora (which is a myth in this universe, don't think about it) because cats love boxes. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
